Armani Privé turns 20: Giorgio Armani, 90, celebrates with Paris couture and celebrities

Armani Privé celebrated its 20th anniversary last night at Paris Fashion Week. The collection dived into the archives and moved some guests to tears.

Fashion maestro Giorgio Armani marked 20 years of his haute couture line, Armani Privé, with an elegant and emotionally charged show in Paris’s chic 8th arrondissement on Tuesday.

Italian designer Giorgio Armani acknowledges the applause at the end of his presentation for Armani Prive during the Women's Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2025 Fashion Week. (AFP)

‘Haute couture is fashion when it becomes art’

At 90 years old, the designer presented a collection diving into the archives of craftsmanship and moving some guests to tears as he took his bow at the end.

“Haute couture is fashion when it becomes art,” Armani said, describing the ethos behind Privé, the line he launched in January 2005. The name itself evokes rarity and exclusivity, serving as a platform for showcasing meticulous craft and timeless design, the house said.

This spring 2025 collection revisited iconic elements from Armani Privé’s past — with unapologetically glamorous results.

Demi Moore, Jessica Biel and others populated the front row

A segmented black gown shimmered with silver threads that gleamed like oil, Asian-inspired fitted jackets sparkled with intricate embroidery, and full skirts encrusted with crystals added both texture and weight, swinging heavily and noisily as the models walked.

Pearls were featured prominently throughout the collection, used as embellishments and symbolic references to serenity, a recurring Armani motif.

The show’s setting, within the Palazzo Armani and beneath gold-gilded ceilings, provided an intimate yet majestic backdrop for the celebration. Guests, including Demi Moore and Jessica Biel, were seen to tap their feet to the booming music.

While the collection embraced Armani’s signature balance of creativity and restraint, some pieces leaned on familiar themes, reflecting the designer’s adherence to his established aesthetic. Yet, this sense of continuity only heightened the timeless quality of the designs, reminding the audience why Privé remains a key part of the haute couture calendar.

The emotional highlight of the evening came at the finale when Giorgio Armani himself emerged to take his bow. Slowly walking the runway, the nonagenarian designer received a standing ovation from some in the audience, many of whom were visibly emotional by the moment.